Nikon SB-600 Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras Review

This is the first time I have ever purchased a dedicated flash. I have used the Superb Vivitar 283 and 285 strobes for years with no complaints. However, after buying the Nikon D70, I felt the need for a TTL flash. The camera's built-in pop-up flash works OK, but I wanted something to get more control of.
The SB600 does 95% of what the more expensive SB-800 does for half the price:

Bounce Flash: Not only can you move the head vertically, you can rotate it 270 degrees to get some sweet sidelit effects. The iTTL makes bounce flash simple and accurate. When you manually zoom the lens, the SB 600 zooms the flash head to automatically match your focal length-and very quietly too.

Power: No problem here. It can easily light an average room. 4 AA batteries give plenty of juice, and the '600 powers itself down to energy saver mode. More important, it powers back up quickly when you're ready to shoot.

Goodies: You can manually dial the flash power down to 1/64 full output, and everything in between. This is perfect for fill flash. It comes with a built in diffusor for ultra wide angle settings. Nikon thoughtfully includes a little stand with tripod socket in case you want to use it off camera. The really nice part is that the SB 600 can be triggered remotely by the D70 or D2H's on camera flash! This gives you a "studio in a bag" using one flash and a Nikon DSLR. Very cool.

Ergonomics: Nikon's D70 set new standards in ergonomics, and the SB-600 matches that. The latch for the bounce head has a handy large rubber button to unlock it. All buttons are soft touch, backlit, and very responsive. The TTL display is lit as well. There is a smooth locking device to secure it on the hotshoe.

Instructions: Nikon includes a cool, full color book showing what you can do with the Sb-600 and 800. Each lighting setup has a corresponding page number for the 600 or 800 manual to tell you how to do it. The book is very helpful and very well printed. These are the kind of extras Nikon users have come to respect. I wish all digital cameras were as well documented as Nikon!

Summary: for the price, you can't buy a better flash for the D70.While less expensive than the SB-800, the SB-600 is lighter and recycles faster. This is more than worth the money, and a perfect mate for your D70.

ADDENDUM. Three years on this is still a great strobe for any Nikon DLSR made. I recently used it to demonstrate the off-camera remote control function built into most better Nikon DLSRs. The class I was teaching were amazed and the Canon shooters were left wanting. Check out the spontaneous group portrait I made of some students with this thing. Everyone wanted a copy!

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Product Description:
Nikon is a precision optical company with worldwide manufacturing, research and marketing capabilities. The Nikon name is equated with extraordinary photographic performance, innovation, precision and optical quality.PRODUCT FEATURES:Versatile remote speedlight for the Creative Lighting System;Available options with D2H Pro Digital SLR and D70 Digital SLR: i-TTL Mode, Advanced Wireless Lighting, FV Lock, Flash Color information and wide area AF illuminator;i-TTL flash control: accurate, seamless fill-flash capability under the most difficult, tricky lighting situations.;FV Lock (flash value lock) allows photographers to change the composition or zoom for the shot while maintaining desired lighting of the subject;Auto FP High Speed Sync mode when used with D2H Pro Digital SLR delivers needed fill flash in bright light or with wide aperture Nikkor lenses.

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